The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-28
TN AN HURRICANE CENTER
A BARK'S ROUGH EXPERIENCE
WITH A CYCLONE.

Spars, Sails and Wheel Carried Away
and Nothing Left but the Lower
Masts-The Crew and officers Lashed
to the Deck for Eight Hours-The
Captains Terrible Plight.
The Norwegian bark Birgitte arrived dis
masted at quarantine yesterday from Rio
Janeiro, and from her pilot, A. Marmelstein
was obtained the story of the disaster;
through which the ship had passed. She
sailed from Rio Janeiro on July ,, and had
good weather until Aug. II, on which date
she passed through one of the most terrific
gales that probably was ever weathered
by any vessel. The barometer was noticed
falling rapidly, giving warning of the APP
preaching cyclone. The vessel had got into
what is designated on the chart as hurricane
centre, abo ut east southeast of Tybee, and
half way between Tybee and Bermuda, a
spot probably that no vessel ever reported
before--that is, no vessel ever before got
into the exact centre of it in hurricane.
LAsHED TO TIE WHEEL.
In the afternoon the wind and sea kept
increasing rapidly, and preparations were
made to face the blow Everything was
dashed down and all sails furled except the
foretopmast staysail and mainstaysall.
Double gaskets were put on all the sails, and
the man was dashed to the wheel. The
work was barely completed when the storm
burst over the ship in all its fury, and the
captain states that his barometer fell below
2S When he observed this he ordered
all men aboard to lash themselves separately
in different parts of the ship, which they
did, the Captain putting double lashing on
himself In this situation they remained
for eight hours, without seeing or speaking
to each other, while the wind and sea were
playing havoc with the ship.
HER sPARS CARRIED AWAY.
She was hove down on her beam ends
with her rails under water during the en-
tire eight hours, the sea constantly washing
over her, and the water going down into
her hold The two staysails
and every spar, with the ex-
were new, and had recently been put in,
were carried away. The spanker boom also
went. and not a single stitch of canvas was
saved, it being blown away in pieces not as
big as a mans hand from the gaskets. Tho
wheel was carried away, the rudder dam
aged, the stern stove in and the copper on
the sides all gone and ballast shifted.
THE CAPTAINS PLIGHT.
Her cabin is in a terrible condition, the
cabin house is completely strained, and not
a single door will close. Everything move
able on deck went over, carrying the rails
with IT. The falling spars kept pounding
the sides of the snip and stripped her of the
copper The Captains lashings parted
and he was dashed on top Of the
house, where he held on, and for a
time ne was under the impression that the
house had been washed off deck, and that
it was drifting about. The captain has
since been in a terrible fix. His legs are all
bruised, and both ankles sprained and
swollen to an enormous size.
wEATHERING ANOTHER STORM.
After the storm subsidized n spare foresail
and mainsail were got out from the cabin,
and with these the ship was worked until
Aug. 21, when she again encountered
another gale and was again thrown on her
beam ends. How she weathered the two
storms, the captain says, was nothing short
of a miracle Pilot Marmelstein spoke her
considerably to the southwark, and did
a splendid piece of work in bringing
her into Tybee with no other assistance ex-
cept the fore sail and main sail. She was
then lowed into quarantine. The ship is
in a terrible plight, and is leaking slightly
She will come up TO the city shortly when a
survey will probably be held on her.